Inspiring Project Ideas {link party features}

Hello, hello! It's so much fun to start the week off with creative inspiration, and today I'll be sharing some Features from the weekend link party. If you're new to the blog, I take a couple of days each week to let other bloggers showcase their project ideas here, and I take a day to feature a few of my faves. We have crafts, home decor, DIY, recipes, party ideas, organizing, tips and tricks, seasonal projects, and more!

Here are some projects that caught my eye this week:

~Kids' Playroom Reveal via House Updated

~Twix Cheesecake Pie via The Kitchen is My Playground

~Washi Tape Clover St. Patrick's Day Wreath via The Silly Pearl

Showcase YOUR Best Post of the Week!

Hi there! Have you enjoyed your weekend so far? I'd love to see you at this week's Weekend Bloggy Reading link party. Hop on over to showcase your creativity if you're a blogger. Not a blogger? Don't miss all the cool "Pinable" projects! Today's the last day...it ends at 10 pm EST tonight!

If you haven't joined the fun yet, please hop over to the party and add your best post of the week. We have Home Decor, Crafts, DIY, Recipes, Tips and Tricks, Party Ideas, and so much more! Lots of fun ideas to Pin and tuck away for future use. Over 100 linked up so far!

If you've already linked up, be sure to browse some of the other projects. If you haven't added a link back to me within your post, please take a minute to do that if you'd like your project considered for a feature. It's good for both of our SEO, guys!

Hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Weekend Bloggy Reading:: Link Up!

TGIF! Welcome to my Weekend Bloggy Reading link party. Fridays on this blog are fun because this is the day of the week where other bloggers stop by to link up their best post of the week here at Serenity Now, and readers get to browse tons of fun project ideas. If you're new here, don't forget to "Follow" or subscribe so you don't miss future parties and projects!

*Please be sure to read my guidelines before you add a link--I've had to bypass so many great projects lately because they didn't include a link back to my blog in the post!

This party is a great place to showcase your very best post of the week (home decor, crafts, party ideas, recipes, DIY, tips and tricks, etc.) and to see what else is out there.

Time to link up your best post of the week!

Life, or the Blog?

Good morning! Today is more of a "business" post written for my regular readers, but I think anyone who is feeling torn will relate. I vaguely mentioned on Tuesday that there will be some changes here at Serenity Now over the next few months...or possibly longer. I wanted to chat about it some today.

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Blogging is a big job. If you're a blogger, you know this already. I don't just DIY, cook, or craft something up and then write up a quick post all in an hour's time. 

It involves shopping for supplies, putting the project together (taking photos along the way--in good light!), uploading and editing photos (resizing, fixing lighting, adding watermarks, cropping, adding titles and tags, etc), writing a post--possibly with a step-by-step tutorial, adding in photos, editing html, scheduling the post, and then promoting it via social media. 

Add all that in-every day, plus my schedule and the girls' separate school and dance schedules and the fact that we now have a three month old baby...you can imagine that it can be tough to accomplish much of anything.

I love sharing fun projects, recipes, and simple DIY with everyone, but I've had to stop and take into account the fact our life has changed. And I don't want to miss it because I'm strapped in at the computer all day. 

I want to craft, fluff my nest, cook, and try new DIY projects because I want to do it...not because I know if I don't post a new project, I'll lose readers and my traffic will drop.

I might feel differently if I had a huge ad network to bring the cash in every month. But I've purposefully stepped back from that because I don't like the pressure. I prefer to work with brands I know and love, on my own timeline. I'd rather accept opportunities for reviews and campaigns as they come along, instead of plugging away each day to get posts up to keep sponsors happy. It makes more sense to focus on putting together stuff for the Best of the Blogosphere and Best of DIY for Centsational Girl because those are paid positions. 

I still love blogging. I love sharing pieces of my life and creative ideas and introducing you to other bloggers. I'm just not in love with the pressures of blogging. 

I have some cute projects and makeovers to share with you all...and I will share them. But I'll be doing it on my own timeline, as I've come to the realization that posting 5 to 7 days a week is just not going to be possible for me any more. It felt so, so weird not to have a post up on the blog last Thursday and then again yesterday, but the universe did not implode, so I'm guessing it's okay.

I need to embrace life, enjoy my children, spend time getting healthy, care for my home, and complete projects. 

What can you expect here?

Link party:

The weekly link party will continue every Friday morning at 8 am EST. 

Features:

I will also take a day to hunt through the links to share features of fab projects that include a link back to the party/blog. I may take another day to share any note-worthy projects or posts I find around the web, rather than include them with the link party. I've found that most people are in such a rush to link up that they don't bother browsing that features I share on Fridays with the link party.

Crafts, Recipes, DIY, Home Decor:

I have a mini kitchen makeover, a complete nursery transformation, a WorkBox reveal (mom's crafting and kids' playspace), and a few crafts that are waiting to be posted. I also have a list of things I'd like to work on and share with you...so taking some time away from posting each week will help me finish those to-do items.

Series:

I started up a wonderful Birthday Party Planning series last year before morning sickness took over and I was a total party pooper after that. I hope to revive this series again soon. I also have a fun pregnancy/baby series I want to start up to help moms-to-be with their planning. I'm also considering starting up a weekly series that would introduce you to new bloggers. And, of course, my annual Christmas series will come around at the end of the year.

Pieces of Home:

As a reader, I always enjoy when bloggers share little glimpses of their home lives with us. I've always tried to do that, often with a dash of humor in the mix. I'll share photos and updates of our family.

Reviews and Giveaways:

I only work with brands, companies, and products that I like and/or think my readers will enjoy hearing about. Nothing has changed on that front. I am much more selective of these opportunities now. I will continue to host Giveaways for fun stuff, and will also review items I am interested in...just not as often. I've turned down dozens of opportunities over the past several months, and it has helped my stress level immensely. 

Guest Posts:

With the exception of my maternity leave and Christmas series that runs each December, I've always kept guest posts to a minimum because I feel like bloggers visit a blog because they connect with the writer and want to read more from him/her. I am planning to utilize guest posts on an "as-needed" basis, particularly for busy weeks or time during the summer when I need to be with my kids.

I know there are some women out there who can do it all...or at least most of it. I am not one of those women. I. can't. do. it. all. I hope this post hasn't turned you off or made you think I'm quitting blogging. I've put too much time into this spot over the last five years to just ditch it. But I need to focus on my home life and my paid work instead of putting in lots of time here each day. 

I'll be posting my projects and other inspiration here every few days. But I'm done with the pressure to have a post scheduled to go live at precisely 8:01 am EST every day. 

I hope you'll stick with me. I'm excited to share some of the updates I completed before Harris arrived. I appreciate each and every one of you who stop by to read each day!

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments.

A Thank You Note from Me

Today is a big thank you from me to you. I ran my last guest post from my "maternity leave" last week. I know guest posts aren't always the most popular with readers, but they are important for a blogger who wants to keep fun, inspiring content fresh on her site when she is unable to share projects of her own. I had a truly smashing line-up of bloggers to fill in for me while I recovered from major surgery and got to know our new little guy. There will be some changes in the way I blog here for awhile, but for today I needed to say "thank you."

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Thank you, readers, for continuing to read this blog, even when I haven't been able to share a project in ages. Thank you for keeping up with me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Thank you for encouraging me through some very discouraging times over the past couple of months. Thank you for being there...so many of you I've never even met. That means a lot.

And last but not least, thanks to the fabulous ladies who took time out from their own busy schedules to craft, create, write, photograph, and edit beautiful and inspiring posts for me to share here at Serenity Now. We started in November with crafts, went through December with my Season of Serenity at Home series, and ended last week with some fab DIY. 

These are the wonderful bloggers who took the time to help me out (listed in no particular order). Please, please take a moment to check out their amazing sites. Leave a comment, Pin a pic, fan a Facebook page. They're all so creative and inspiring!

Pretty Handy Girl

Sweet Pea

Circus Berry

The Country Chic Cottage

Infarrantly Creative

Madigan Made

Two Story Cottage

Craftaholics Anonymous

DIY on the Cheap

Honey We're Home

Domestic Fashionista

The Scrap Shoppe

Sand and Sisal

The Happy Housie

Thrifty Decor Chick

Uncommon Designs

At the Picket Fence

Cleverly Inspired

Organize and Decorate Everything

Dreaming About Someday

Nellie Bellie

The Thinking Closet 

Lovin' Our Chaos

Domestic Superhero

Craft Snob

Measured by the Heart

Mommy Envy

A Nest for All Seasons

View Along the Way

Girl in the Garage

Practically Functional

R and R Workshop

Imparting Grace

Crafty Texas Girls

The Kitchen is My Playground

May Richer Fuller Be

Michaela Noelle Designs

Homework

How to Nest for Less

Amanda Jane Brown

Wow, that's a lot of creativity in one space! (I hope I didn't leave anyone out)

I'll be sharing some updates soon and will chat about how I plan to blog for the foreseeable future. Until then, please do take the time to check out these ladies' blogs. You won't be disappointed!

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments.

Inspiring Project Ideas {link party features}

Greetings! It's so much fun to start the week off with creative inspiration, and today I'll be sharing some Features from the weekend link party. If you're new to the blog, I take a couple of days each week to let other bloggers showcase their project ideas here, and I take a day to feature a few of my faves. We have crafts, home decor, DIY, recipes, party ideas, organizing, tips and tricks, seasonal projects, and more!

Here are some projects that caught my eye this week:

~Pottery Barn Kids Inspired Oar Decor via The Happy Housie

~Living Room Makeover via Weekend Tweaks

~Strawberry Tart Recipe via Living the Gourmet

Weekend Bloggy Reading :: Link Up!

Welcome to my Weekend Bloggy Reading link party. This is the day of the week where other bloggers stop by to link up their best post of the week here at Serenity Now, and readers get to browse tons of fun project ideas. If you're new here, don't forget to "Follow" or subscribe so you don't miss future parties and projects!

*Don't forget this week's Giveaway for a PetBox full of fun treats and surprises for your pet!*

*Please be sure to read my guidelines before you add a link--I've had to bypass so many great projects lately because they didn't include a link back to my blog in the post!

This party is a great place to showcase your very best post of the week (home decor, crafts, party ideas, recipes, DIY, tips and tricks, etc.) and to see what else is out there. I'm currently on "maternity leave" to enjoy our brand new baby boy, so this party is all about you guys! I will be doing my best to keep up with weekly features until I am "back in the game."

**Also, the Best of the Blogosphere will be up at Centsational Girl sometime today! Kate and I have rounded up some fab DIY to share with you as we kick off a new year full of inspiration. Head over to see the BOTB after you link up here!**

Time to link up your best post of the week!